Press Releases

Payday loans remain a damaging debt trap for millions of Americans, according to two new chapters in the Center for Responsible Lending's (CRL) State of Lending series. Payday loans carry triple-digit annualized percentage rates (APR) and strip more than $3.4 billion in fees from Americans annually. Although payday lenders market these loans as a quick financial fix, CRL finds that...

CRL welcomes moves by the U.S. Department of Education ("Department") to ensure that career education programs provide a sound return on investment for both students and U.S. taxpayers. Students and displaced workers often look to career education programs to build the skills they need to gain employment in particular fields. Many of these programs are offered by for-profit colleges, although...

New mortgage lending rules proposed today by federal regulators take a big step forward in strengthening the U.S. housing market and economy. In revised proposed rules defining "qualified residential mortgages" (QRM), regulators crafted standards that address key causes of the past housing crisis and will prevent future abusive lending. At the same time, the newly-proposed rule will protect access to...

Last Friday, a Tennessee-based online payday lender stopped making loans nationwide after a crackdown by New York regulators. The state attorney general earlier asked major banks to cut ties with payday lenders making illegal online loans to New York residents. "This is a tremendous victory for families in every state," said Uriah King, CRL's vice president of state policy. "Contrary...

Earlier today Joseph A. Smith, Jr., Monitor of the National Mortgage Settlement issued his fifth and final report detailing progress by the five participating servicers regarding their consumer relief obligations under the Settlement through June 30. The monitor has verified the data provided by one servicer (Ally/ResCap) as fulfilling settlement consumer relief obligations, and is evaluating two others (Bank of...

Fifth Third bank may soon be one of only two banks in the nation that makes payday loans. This week William Isaac, chairman of Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB), published a piece here defending payday loans and expressing concern about regulatory crackdowns on payday lending. This is not surprising given that—despite sharp regulatory warnings and widespread public opposition—Fifth Third may soon...

We commend the President for offering a clear vision for a full housing recovery. We also second the President's call for a swift confirmation of Rep. Mel Watt to serve as the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. As we enter into the reform of the mortgage finance system, it is vital to have a qualified Presidential appointee at...

Many banks and credit unions continue to charge abusive fees on debit cards and checking accounts, according to a new report by the Center for Responsible Lending. "High-Cost Overdraft Practices" finds that, in spite of regulatory changes in recent years, consumers paid more than $16 billion in fees during 2011, many triggered by manipulative banking practices. Debit cards carry fees...

For years many banks and credit unions have manipulated the order of debit and checking transactions to trigger more overdraft fees. In spite of consumer complaints, media attention and costly litigation, some financial institutions persist in this practice. We commend Senator Sherrod Brown for proposing a bill that would stop this sleight-of-hand trick once and for all.Not all banks and...

Today marks an historic moment. After two years of a roller coaster ride following hard-won reform, Director Richard Cordray has been confirmed. The nation now has a fully empowered Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and can fully focus on the job Congress asked it to do three years ago. As businesses compete under the same set of rules, working families will...